Very Cautiously Through the Rain
by Asurahaya020
Summary: Being cautious has its benefits, and for Satoshi, that meant distancing himself from anything that could remind him of Azumano. It's a different story if someone has tracked him down, though- and what's worse, Risa's bringing a storm along.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: D N Angel ain't mine. So are Satoshi Hiwatari and Risa Harada. They are rightfully owned by Yukiru Sugisaki.

Summary: Being cautious has its benefits, and for Satoshi, that meant distancing himself from anything that could remind him of Azumano. It's a different story if someone has tracked him down, though- and what's worse, Risa's bringing a storm along.

Author's Notes: Beginning this, I thought of executing a oneshot, but given my heightened interest of Prague, its culture plus the idea of Satoshi and Risa 'losing themselves' here, I'm planning for the story to have two/three reasonably long chapters. The story, set some years after the final battle between Dark and Krad, could be classified as semi-AU given the time difference and also the new setting. I've never been to Prague and could only guess at it's grandeur and overwhelming cultural heritage, that is, of course, until I save up enough to actually immerse myself in it.

I never would've thought of Prague as the city to get yourself lost in love to, but all is thanks to Haina (Hally Dang) and her work entitled La Figlia Che Piange which is an Eriol x Tomoyo fic set in that wonderful city.

* * *

Prologue

The wind was crisp and cool and it heralded the fast-approaching winter season. The sky was very blue, though, and it saddened Daisuke just a little bit. It was not that big of a problem for him- now that he had other, bigger matters to attend to.

Ever since Dark had left them, a more appreciable peace settled within him and Riku and even the rest of Dark's admirers- though there's no need telling they would miss him greatly. Risa, even, had been doing great- there was a lot of progress in how she coped with what she took (and what others thought) as a great big loss. Depression just wouldn't do her in, Riku even attested. Risa, it seemed, was the quintessence of optimism.

Another friend, Satoshi Hiwatari, was a different case, though. He left without so much of a notice and went to some place in Europe- somewhere that even the twins' trusty butler's contacts couldn't even get wind of. Risa complained, as ever, that he was still THE unsociable Hiwatari-kun, but Daisuke knew better.

Unlike Dark, Krad was, one could say as an unfeeling companion. Daisuke, more than anybody- even his dad, knew the pains of having to share a body and contain the Phantom thief. Yet, even then, Dark had always been looking out for him. His concerns were centered on him- even though Dark would insist that they didn't.

Hiwatari never looked as though he enjoyed it every single time Krad forces his way out of his body. Not one time did they ever see him smiling- he was always crouching like so on the floor, writhing and in extreme suffering. The pain, Riku said, might've been enough for Hiwatari-kun not to forget. Even, perhaps, to live eternally in fear that, though Krad had left them for good, the white angel would rise yet again and come bursting out of his person.

"He must be feeling such fear, enough to distance himself from us- even going overboard by cutting any kind of connection- and leave for the idea of a somewhat far-off place." Daisuke even remembered Riku saying.

"O-Oh yeah! I keep on forgetting! Riku!" Daisuke exclaimed, flailing his arms in panic as he secured the house, took his overcoat and scarf, locked the house and dashed off for the hospital.

o0o...o0o...very cautiously through the rain...o0o...o0o

The Vltava river reflected much of the white, cloud-covered sky and none of its icy depths, and made Satoshi wonder if it could ever freeze. Many other people were looking at the river as well, from both sides of the Charles Bridge, that it was really hard to move along and view the river from different vantage points. He often wondered what they thought of the great Vltava- and if it did stop flowing for some time. Knowing he was better off not knowing, he pocketed his numbing hands and rubbed his sides, allowing the warmth to envelop him.

Why he chose to leave Japan for Europe didn't make much sense to him as did his choice of leaving his 'friends' behind, without any goodbyes, and start a rather carefree, independent life in Prague. He always thought of going here in one point of his life- yet now that he has an apartment, an easy-going job and a very trusty bicycle to help him get around, he didn't feel all too jovial. It felt, more than anything, troublesome, even.

The very reason he didn't tell anyone about his departure and severed all of his connections was to ensure that no one would know of his failure to get a new grip on life. But as he thought it over again and again, it continued not to ring as right nor as truthful to him. He could get a life any time- he had the money, the power, the ability to do so.

The strength, though, was something he lacked much of. The thought of being so idle and weary of doing anything- it angered and irritated him so much that neither the scenery of Prague, however majestic it may be, didn't help him a bit.

If perhaps, he had continued living with Daisuke and the Harada twins, it was possible for his life to be similar to the life he was leading here in Prague, only a little more chaotic in the sides. The fact that he found himself liking a life like that made him double up and sarcastically laugh at himself. Had he turned out to be weaker as his foster father said?

o0o...o0o...very cautiously through the rain...o0o...o0o

"What would it be, then? I've got nothing else to show you, if that's what you're thinking." The young street artist stood up and patted down the length of his feisty-themed, color-splashed pants. "They're not all that good, but I still hope you'd find something you'd like..." then after much hesitation, he added, "You've got good eyes. You an artist?"

Satoshi only grinned a little- the artist was reminding of him of a certain unbiased, red-haired boy. "You could say that... Did you do that fresco behind you?" he asked, pointing at the artwork on the wall.

It was a mural. A painting of the sky- the same white one he had just looked at, being reflected off on the surface of Vltava- from underneath a bridge Satoshi recognized as the famed Charles' Bridge. The sky in the painting, unlike the one brewing above him right him now, had streaks of blue, hinting the first passes of Spring. 'Tomorrow' was written below the composition.

"Oh, that. Yeah. My tribute to this city- some kind of thanks for providing me inspiration- I'm not the only one, though. Lots of artists do this. I'm not the first to use graffiti, even. The government couldn't get our sense of gratitude, though." The young man embarrassedly ruffled his messy crop of short, hazel-brown hair before grinning sheepishly. "My family's into another kind of business. You could call this my revelry against them. It's also my hope."

"...your hope?"

The young man gave him a cheeky smile. "That's right... that someone like you'd come along and appraise my talent or at least buy some of my paintings. I don't know if I should say this, but since you're my first customer and all today- it's like an affirmation of the purpose of my existence."

"Ah- that was really sappy, huh?" The young man continued to grin sheepishly, scratching his head while he laughed a little.

Satoshi only nodded in reply before fixing his glasses and hiding his eyes with its sharp glare. He was getting a little irritated- being reminded of his life back in Japan wasn't helping either. Defying fate... affirming his existince... How many times had he tried to do just that?

A small, cool drop at his arm reminded him to get the conversation over with as the weather was starting to turn bad.

"How much for one of these portraits?" Satoshi asked the man.

o0o...o0o...very cautiously through the rain...o0o...o0o

Tucked in securely at his left arm, the painting did nothing but burden Satoshi who was riding his bike in the direction of his apartment that was a little far off from the wider, well-lighted main streets.

"I shouldn't have bought it on a whim..." he grumbled to himself, all the while trying to maintain his balance as he crossed over a rather badly packed section of that little paved avenue he had been cruising over for quite some time now.

The sky had darkened a fraction and subtle, ominous rumblings of upcoming thunder could be heard overhead. He was beginning to resent his purchase by the minute- weighing off more reasonable purchases like an umbrella or a new stash of baguette and some spread, and his face was getting grimmer, too.

Even the sky paled in comparison to the scowl now pasted on his features. Several lazy onlookers found this amusing. But before they could even crack a smile, just for looking at him at the wrong time, they would be sent blizzard-like death glares and then they would fall speechless- too scared to even think of finding an appropriate shade to cover themselves from the fast-approaching rain.

Nobody dared to talk to him, though it was not like he was going to reply back- Satoshi just found it quite different as he had long braced himself for concerned, talkative people- Daisuke and Risa for instance. Those were a couple of loudmouths. Saehara as well, but Satoshi didn't really find his company something even near the far-off category of somewhat-related-to-concern-for-welfare.

Finding himself preoccupied by thoughts he should've long dealt with and lived without, the Hikari shook his head resignedly and pedaled onward.

o0o...o0o...very cautiously through the rain...o0o...o0o

It wasn't long before that, that the rain poured like tears from the sky. It fell in thin, almost unnoticeable lines at first, before eventually falling in sheets that seemed to have a queer effect on the small figures of people Satoshi could view from his window. They were running to and fro, before finally disappearing from view as they went under shades and umbrellas and store parasols and building arcs. From another window, this time facing the river, the scene was reflected as well.

He couldn't hear the commotion, if there were any. It was, in the simplest sense, quiet chaos. The very same one that he would find in their little town of Azumano back in Japan- the one he would find reflected as he looked at himself in the web-like patterns of a mirror he had no memory of breaking the night before.

He looks at the fifty-so self-images blankly, no words escaping his paling lips but the pandemonium echoing within the depths of a hundred cerulean eyes looking back. He decided, that very night itself, to pack and leave.

Leaving Japan, and living in Prague instead was the most real illusion he could find- a new home, a new job, a new life. And definitely no loudmouths, no concerned voices, no untimely visits. No Daisuke, no Haradas, no father-son tandem plotting to ruin his peace of mind.

He wasn't counting on new acquaintances for he hardly could keep any. A sort of new existence would be enough. Would be what he just needed.

And so Satoshi watched the hurried action of it all from his apartment window, feeling the most detached from the world as he did so. When he got tired, he kicked off his sneakers, tugged at the first three buttons of his polo and nonchalantly fell back to his waiting couch. He played a little with the stray wisps of his hair before proceeding to removing his glasses and placing them on the nearby coffee table.

Satoshi watched as the room dissolved into blurred strokes of undistinguishable light hues and the view from the window, a dirty gray blob. Already feeling tired, he leaned deeper into the cushions and laid his dizzied head on the pile of soft throw pillows.

Another day has passed. He didn't know for long he wanted to stay. But for the meantime, he was pretty much at home at the same time, not so, in the city of a hundred spires.

o0o...o0o...very cautiously through the rain...o0o...o0o

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Author's Notes: Reviews are much appreciated!


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: No matter how delectable Satoshi seems, I can only afford to look from afar, seeing that I'm behind bars from trying to get him wear a 'Satoshi's mine' shirt. Kukuku... the incredulous face was worth the try, though.

Summary: Being cautious has its benefits, and for Satoshi, that meant distancing himself from anything that could remind him of Azumano. It's a different story if someone has tracked him down, though- and what's worse, Risa's bringing a storm along.

Author's Notes: Hm... don't really expect any big, head-turning events because I meant this to be just a light, good read. Probably gonna end this after two chapters more.

* * *

Chapter 1

The bad weather did not leave Prague for some three days already. The characteristic wintertime fog would not let up until the late morning but Satoshi is quite at home walking outside in this kind of weather. He determined the outline of a nearby bakery and is relieved that it was already open for business. The person at the counter greeted him upon recognizing his face and he set about to the display for today's choices of bread products.

"I'll have the usual spread...and maybe some fruit jam, too." He said, while browsing through baguettes, bagels and corn bread. He took some of those and an additional loaf of rye bread before proceeding to the counter where the store owner was already perusing his purchases.

He was a kindly old man, probably in his middle fifties, and, from what he learned as he frequented this store whenever he was running out of bread, was the grandson of the original owner. He loved baking and would give the younger man a sample whenever he would try a new recipe. This time, Satoshi gave him the pleasure of recommending a fruit jam to go along with the items he bought.

A wrinkled hand offered the blue-haired youth a small jar of what appeared to be blueberry jam. "Try a little whipped cream or sprinkled sugar with this." He said, smiling.

Satoshi nodded in assent, took the small jar and waited patiently as the store owner punched in his purchases. He helped him place them in a paperbag later, sandwiched somewhere below was the canister for the spread and the small jar of blueberry jam.

He left after paying for what he bought and decided to take a small detour to a coffee shop near his place.

o0o...o0o...very cautiously through the rain...o0o...o0o

A cheerful tinkling made the red-head's eyes leave a book she was very much engrossed in, and look towards the general direction of the apartment's double-door entrance. Her face blanched in recognition.

The figure at the door didn't waste any time removing its overcoat nor in greeting her, and instead rubbed his two hands together as he trudged to the stairs up to his living quarters.

"Ah, Mr. Hiwatari-" she began.

Satoshi faced the girl at the reception counter, finally acknowleding her. He scowled a bit, he had a big bag of bread to deposit, after all.

"Yes? What is it?" he inquired, seeing that the girl's heightened trepidation of him hampered her from talking further.

"This- uhm...- someone was looking for you earlier. I-" the red-haired receptionist stuttered, her green eyes drifting to different directions, doing all they can to avoid contact with the already stormy blue pools of an increasingly annoyed Hiwatari Satoshi.

"I hope you followed my strict instructions regarding such visitors, Ms. Vrany. Good day." he said, a very conspicuous frown in his voice, then turned abruptly (and of course, as he was THE Hiwatari, with unstaggering genteel-ism) and continued to make his way to his flat.

Back at the reception desk, an incoming junior in high school with red hair, who also happened to be the daughter of the apartment owner was trying to whack herself unconscious with the book she was previously reading. "Urgh... I shouldn't have let that weird person in- I shouldn't have, I shouldn't have... and now I'm at the receiving end of THAT look again!! URGH!"

o0o...o0o...very cautiously through the rain...o0o...o0o

The stoic face of Satoshi Hiwatari- or what remained of it, really- was nowhere near composure as he remained unmoving, leaning on the door of his apartment, his back towards the worst thing he thought of actually encountering here in Prague, or anywhere else he chose for his self-imposed exile, really.

'W-what was- ...why was-?!"

Satoshi couldn't believe his eyes. A bead of cold sweat ran down his face as it simultaneously darkened ominously. He almost lost himself back there- he even felt like screaming at that time. It was either he was having hallucinations or he had done some sort of unforgivable injustice, enough for the gods to bring Azumano, or at least, the worse part of it, back to him.

'More like, hunted me here, in Prague...' Satoshi grimaced.

'It must be a hallucination. It must... After all, I've taken much precaution- all the measures I can come up with.' He breathed hard. Satoshi pushed up his glasses up his nose bridge, feeling a migraine in the making.

He mustered strength to denounce any more hallucinations he might see when he opened the door again.

'It'd better be.'

o0o...o0o...very cautiously through the rain...o0o...o0o

Nope. Not moving, not gone.

The vision before, or perhaps, the reality even then, was that the younger of the Harada twins was here, in his flat, grinning a smile of amusement, teasing, even, with the brown length tied in a ponytail, the eyes slightly wide as they noted his entrance again, and her mouth preoccupied with finishing the remaining bagel on his quaint dining table.

She raised a free hand, greeting him a casual "Yo" as if her visiting him was as normal as any everyday occasion.

Definitely no illusion of his.

Satoshi sighed in resigned acceptance, and closed the door behind him. He proceeded to his kitchen counter and dumped the bags he was carrying before walking to his couch. From that distance, which he decided was quite safe if ever the younger Harada became too much for him to handle (take that she might decide to launch herself at him in a friendly motive), he began his interrogation.

"Why?"

The tone was kind enough. At least, that was what he thought. She wasn't answering, though. Satoshi decided to be a bit more menacing- perhaps scaring the answer out of her that way. He repeated his question.

"Why are you here in Prague?"

"Quite a nice weather isn't it?"

No giggles, no amused tone. Just plain dodging. For the Risa Harada he got used to back in Azumano, this one was a bit out of character- just a tad bit more irritating.

"The weather's depressing," he deadpanned, "and don't even think you would be let off by changing the topic. What are you doing here, Harada-san?"

She kept at it. "Get rid of the -san. It's Risa, and I'm not that old, you know. And besides, I was just trying to compliment the-"

A glare. Risa sighed, knowing she couldn't push anything to the limit anymore. She simply 'reached' it.

Satoshi, while awaiting her answer, leaned at the spine of his couch and watched her keenly.

"Okay, okay... I get it, so enough of the blizzards shooting from there."

The Hiwatari came close to raising an eyebrow. So close.

She stood from the chair she was previously sitting on, facing him fully and wearing a serious face. The determination was practically overwhelming. "I came to take you away, social recluse."

This time, with a brow held high for sheer incredulity and a light feeling of dizziness, Satoshi felt like fainting. Just quite.

o0o...o0o...very cautiously through the rain...o0o...o0o

Satoshi came out of the delicatessen with a very much satisfied look in his eyes. It was the last place in his 'instant' itinerary for the day. After that uncalled for exchange in his apartment, his day pretty much improved in such a wretched, unorderly way that even he, as adamant as he was, was moved to action, more like unwillingly, really- even to the point of making him browse through the different stores located at the Central Square and beyond that, searching for items he could fill his cupboard with; seeing now that he had another mouth to feed besides himself.

Without a car or his bicycle's basket, he felt quite fatigued, carrying all the bags of various food items aside from those he had carried earlier in the day. The blue-haired youth finally thought of truly ending this day's excursion and drop everything, including his weary self, in his apartment. He sighed in exhaustion.

What kept him from going back until he was reduced to a fatigued grocer like this, was Risa who he was sure to find either emptying his cupboard, rummaging through his closets or sleeping where she chose to be comfortable with.

Satoshi thought, and with much resignation, that his apartment never seemed to be as far as it did now.

Until now, he wasn't quite sure as to how he ended up having a temporary guest in his apartment. And much, much worse, that same guest had no clear idea as to when she was planning on getting her own board and lodging.

'She's not planning to tell me 'why', even...'

No sooner had he finished working out with the younger Harada that he was certainly no social recluse (just a little introvert, is all) and that maybe, just maybe, she could stay the night in his apartment and get the hell out of there as soon as she had a place to stay, did the girl decide on her own that she was 'really grateful' for him 'welcoming her' and saying for her 'to feel at home'.

Or somehow, it worked out that way, seeing that she got herself acquainted with the contents of the fridge, the couch and the bed, and had fitted a bagful of clothes in a spare drawer he didn't know he had. It was draining for him- and in all aspects.

"Harada-san..." he reasoned out, unsure whether he should be more strict or more anxious. Probably both, he decided rather quickly, as Risa had already begun stuffing his cupboard with his earlier purchases. "What I meant to say is, you have to find your own place to stay here in Prague as soon as possible."

She pouted. "I find our previous arrangement perfectly comfortable."

Risa Harada must be kidding. "I believe you didn't fully understand..." Satoshi grumbled, patience wearing thin. The girl only walked across the room, sat on the couch he was still leaning on, faced him and had her arms folded.

"Well, it's all arranged. You may not like it, Hiwatari-kun, but I'll be sticking with you whether you like it or not."

He scratched his head in frustration. He didn't ask for this. He just wanted a new kind of existence. He 'needed' a new kind of existence. Satoshi remained quiet. Already, he realized getting furious was going to solve nothing.

'It's not like I can beat her out of her being stubborn.' he thought, throwing off ideas of troubling himself to coerce the younger Harada to leaving.

Man, he was really turning into a softy. "Fine. Have it as you like." And after some thought, "The couch is free."

Risa grinned just as he walked away from the couch, grumbling complains. "Glad to have you as a roommate."

He only rolled his eyes. He was sure he definitely wasn't.

o0o...o0o...very cautiously through the rain...o0o...o0o

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Author's Notes: Ah, another short one. I have no cookies, but review nonetheless! Thank you for reading!

Twilight's Shadow: Thanks for reviewing- especially for telling that I've kept them in character. There are some OCs, but they are just there to show how well he is at dealing with others. Diction? I guess you do get the feel/tone of the narrative when you read through it.


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